SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Well-known for his jocularity and peppery, occasionally off-beat comments, Dick MacPherson was beloved in Syracuse for that and so much more. Heck, he likely could have been mayor if he chose to run.
Instead, he stayed on the football field and made his mark with the Orange, resurrecting a declining program and returning it to national prominence. MacPherson arrived before the 1981 season, taking over a program that had slumped through a decade of mediocrity, producing only three winning seasons. After two seasons of transition, MacPherson produced a winning team in 1983 (6-5).
By the time he left in 1990, MacPherson had compiled a 66-46-4 record, departing as the school’s second-winningest coach.